Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have commissioned in the last three years on the causes of road traffic accidents between motor vehicles and cyclists in cities.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
In 2019 the Department commissioned NatCen social research to conduct a rapid evidence review to understand the factors behind collisions in cyclists resulting from ‘failing to look properly’ and ‘look but failed to see’, and to assess possible interventions to minimise these types of collisions. This work was commissioned in response to Action 41 in the Government response to the 2018 Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) Safety Review call for evidence. This committed the Department to “commission a package of research to look into technical, physiological and behavioural issues relating to the visibility and audibility of cyclists. The research is complete and we expect to publish the report later this summer.
In 2018 the Government announced a £480,000 partnership between the police, the RAC Foundation and Highways England to trial a new approach to investigating all road collisions (The Road Collision Investigation Project – RCIP). This involves more in-depth, qualitative analysis to understand the underlying causes of crashes and road safety incidents. The latest update on this project can be found on the RAC Foundation website, under “collaborations”.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost of the duplication of road signs on roads in rural England.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department has made no assessment of the cost of duplication of road signs on roads in rural England.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether no longer having to follow EU directives will lead to a change in the number of road signs on minor roads in rural England; and if so, what estimate they have made of the amount of money this will save the Government in a year.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Traffic signing was always a domestic matter and as such, the UK’s exit from the EU and the end of the transition period, has no impact on the provision of traffic signs in the UK.
Signs are placed for specific reasons; to convey warnings, information, requirements, restrictions or prohibitions to road users. Provision of traffic signs is a matter for local traffic authorities. Under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, any signs placed on public highways in England must comply with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016, or be specially authorised by the Secretary of State for Transport.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have commissioned any research to compare the levels of littering on roads in England and the rest of Europe; and if so, what the findings were.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
No specific assessment has been undertaken into changes in the amount of litter at the side of main roads in England, or research commissioned to compare levels of littering with the rest of Europe. On the Strategic Road Network (SRN), the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) monitors Highways England’s performance and delivery of its investment plan. The ORR’s most recent Annual Assessment of Highways England across Road Period 1 (2015-2020) acknowledged its efforts to address litter on the SRN but highlighted that there is more to do to achieve the vision set out in its own Litter Strategy.
As part of the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2), which launched in April 2020, Highways England will report a litter performance indicator. This will measure what percentage of the SRN is predominantly free of litter, in line with the Code of Practice on litter and refuse. It will be published annually within Highways England's Delivery Plan Update due in the Summer. This will ensure there is increased transparency on litter levels for the Department, ORR and road users and that Highways England’s performance can be held to account.
The Government’s Litter Strategy outlines a variety of measures to reduce littering within a generation and sits alongside Highways England’s Litter Strategy for combatting litter on the SRN.
Street cleaning and litter picking on the local road network is covered by revenue funding provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG).
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the amount of litter at the side of main roads in England has changed over the last three years; and what plans they have to reduce litter on roads in England.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
No specific assessment has been undertaken into changes in the amount of litter at the side of main roads in England, or research commissioned to compare levels of littering with the rest of Europe. On the Strategic Road Network (SRN), the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) monitors Highways England’s performance and delivery of its investment plan. The ORR’s most recent Annual Assessment of Highways England across Road Period 1 (2015-2020) acknowledged its efforts to address litter on the SRN but highlighted that there is more to do to achieve the vision set out in its own Litter Strategy.
As part of the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2), which launched in April 2020, Highways England will report a litter performance indicator. This will measure what percentage of the SRN is predominantly free of litter, in line with the Code of Practice on litter and refuse. It will be published annually within Highways England's Delivery Plan Update due in the Summer. This will ensure there is increased transparency on litter levels for the Department, ORR and road users and that Highways England’s performance can be held to account.
The Government’s Litter Strategy outlines a variety of measures to reduce littering within a generation and sits alongside Highways England’s Litter Strategy for combatting litter on the SRN.
Street cleaning and litter picking on the local road network is covered by revenue funding provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG).
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost of vehicle insurance for young people between the ages of 17 and 20 years old; and the implications of such costs on the employment prospects for young people in deprived areas.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
Motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer and it is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant.
The Government recognises that the cost of motor insurance can be high for new drivers. Motor insurance premiums can vary according to the potential risk that a driver poses and this can include factors such as the age of the applicant, the types of vehicle being driven, the postal area where the applicant lives and the driving experience of the applicant.
As promised in the Road Safety Statement, the Department for Transport has commissioned a £2 million research programme to explore the effectiveness of a range of measures to improve the safety of young and novice drivers, both before they take their test and after they have passed. The Government would like to see improvements in young driver safety reflected in their insurance premiums.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the highest environmental standards apply to motorways and highways of England with respect to litter.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
Highways England are responsible for complying with the mandatory legal requirements under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which includes removing litter on England’s motorways and some trunk roads.
As part of the Government’s Litter Strategy (2017), the Department for Transport will be working with Highways England and other stakeholders to update the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why those who fail the DVLA theory test are not provided with a read out of which questions they failed and what the correct answers to those questions were.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
After a candidate has completed their theory test, they are given a summary of their performance by topic area. This tells them how many questions they answered incorrectly in each topic area. They can then concentrate their revision on the areas they require more practice. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) provides learning materials (books, apps and online support) which are organised by topic area, making it easier for focused revision.
If DVSA identified the questions which a candidate answered incorrectly, it would allow candidates to learn the answers by rote, without necessarily gaining the required knowledge and understanding needed to drive safely.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the fee for the DVLA theory test is allocated to the contractor responsible for delivering those tests; and what is their estimate of the proportion of those fees that represents profit for the contractor.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) cannot disclose what percentage of fee is allocated to the contractor as this information is commercial in confidence.
DVSA does not hold any data on the proportion of fees that represents profit for the contractor.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each of the last five years, what percentage of those taking the DVLA theory test have sat that test more than three times.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The following data shows the percentage of Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) learners who took their theory test more than three times in the last five years:
Year | Category | Delivery Volume | More than 3 attempts | % taking more than 3 attempts |
2013 | Bike | 50175 | 383 | 0.76% |
2013 | Car | 1441604 | 79201 | 5.49% |
2013 | CAR-ABRIDGED | 19 | 1 | 5.26% |
2013 | LGV-CPC | 17190 | 685 | 3.98% |
2013 | LGV-CPC-Conversion | 126 | 5 | 3.97% |
2013 | LGV-HPT | 28999 | 534 | 1.84% |
2013 | LGV-MC | 31586 | 966 | 3.06% |
2013 | PCV-CPC | 7478 | 1011 | 13.52% |
2013 | PCV-CPC-Conversion | 79 | 2 | 2.53% |
2013 | PCV-HPT | 7518 | 145 | 1.93% |
2013 | PCV-MC | 8044 | 192 | 2.39% |
Year | Category | Delivery Volume | More than 3 attempts | % taking more than 3 attempts |
2014 | Bike | 60600 | 573 | 0.95% |
2014 | Car | 1663153 | 96729 | 5.82% |
2014 | CAR-ABRIDGED | 26 | 5 | 19.23% |
2014 | LGV-CPC | 24574 | 1004 | 4.09% |
2014 | LGV-CPC-Conversion | 234 | 22 | 9.40% |
2014 | LGV-HPT | 33402 | 619 | 1.85% |
2014 | LGV-MC | 37871 | 1283 | 3.39% |
2014 | PCV-CPC | 6683 | 896 | 13.41% |
2014 | PCV-CPC-Conversion | 106 | 18 | 16.98% |
2014 | PCV-HPT | 7640 | 152 | 1.99% |
2014 | PCV-MC | 8355 | 249 | 2.98% |
Year | Category | Delivery Volume | More than 3 attempts | % taking more than 3 attempts |
2015 | Bike | 69888 | 690 | 0.99% |
2015 | Car | 1847968 | 115082 | 6.23% |
2015 | CAR-ABRIDGED | 30 | 1 | 3.33% |
2015 | LGV-CPC | 31715 | 1112 | 3.51% |
2015 | LGV-CPC-Conversion | 411 | 39 | 9.49% |
2015 | LGV-HPT | 46471 | 623 | 1.34% |
2015 | LGV-MC | 51677 | 1909 | 3.69% |
2015 | PCV-CPC | 6733 | 776 | 11.53% |
2015 | PCV-CPC-Conversion | 114 | 3 | 2.63% |
2015 | PCV-HPT | 8102 | 135 | 1.67% |
2015 | PCV-MC | 8851 | 262 | 2.96% |
Year | Category | Delivery Volume | More than 3 attempts | % taking more than 3 attempts |
2016 | Bike | 74054 | 950 | 1.28% |
2016 | Car | 1955241 | 142417 | 7.28% |
2016 | CAR-ABRIDGED | 38 | 2 | 5.26% |
2016 | LGV-CPC | 35261 | 1288 | 3.65% |
2016 | LGV-CPC-Conversion | 717 | 82 | 11.44% |
2016 | LGV-HPT | 46584 | 619 | 1.33% |
2016 | LGV-MC | 54266 | 2282 | 4.21% |
2016 | PCV-CPC | 6728 | 665 | 9.88% |
2016 | PCV-CPC-Conversion | 155 | 8 | 5.16% |
2016 | PCV-HPT | 7789 | 86 | 1.10% |
2016 | PCV-MC | 8982 | 300 | 3.34% |
Year | Category | Delivery Volume | More than 3 attempts | % taking more than 3 attempts |
2017 | Bike | 72481 | 924 | 1.27% |
2017 | Car | 1915556 | 143568 | 7.49% |
2017 | CAR-ABRIDGED | 40 | 3 | 7.50% |
2017 | LGV-CPC | 35158 | 1447 | 4.12% |
2017 | LGV-CPC-Conversion | 1078 | 146 | 13.54% |
2017 | LGV-HPT | 43505 | 468 | 1.08% |
2017 | LGV-MC | 52899 | 2245 | 4.24% |
2017 | PCV-CPC | 6140 | 629 | 10.24% |
2017 | PCV-CPC-Conversion | 153 | 6 | 3.92% |
2017 | PCV-HPT | 6821 | 74 | 1.08% |
2017 | PCV-MC | 8388 | 326 | 3.89% |